Marketplace Roundup

GOLF WORLD MONDAY’s Dave Shedloski notes the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions has “struggled for several years to attract top international players.” Golfers Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els reportedly “won’t be going” to the season opener this year, and Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been “long-time Maui no-shows.” Hyundai’s sponsorship “expires with the completion of the 2013 edition, though secondary sponsor SBS is still on the hook for an additional six years.” Shedloski: “What’s a sponsor getting for its money? Good U.S. players but not the full complement of qualifiers” (GOLF WORLD MONDAY, 11/26 issue).

RACE TO THE END: In Denver, Joe Nguyen reported Old Spice has enlisted former NBAer Dikembe Mutombo to star in the company's new online game, "Dikembe Mutombo’s 4½ Weeks to Save the World.” The game, which launched last Monday, features a “new level every week until Dec. 21, or the so-called ‘end date’ of the Mayan calendar.” The game is "totally worth it just from the title sequence alone” (DENVERPOST.com, 11/23).

A PARTY ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT...: In Columbia, Andrew Shain noted Univ. of South Carolina mascot Cocky is “no longer confined to the ball fields.” For $100 an hour and $50 for community activities, “anyone can add USC’s mascot to an event.” And Cocky is “in demand,” as South Carolina cheerleading coach Erika Goodwin said that Cocky has “attended 114 events in the year ending June 30, up 30 percent from the previous year.” The South Carolina mascot “has company.” Clemson Assistant AD/Promotion John Seketa said that the Clemson Tiger mascot makes “about 160 appearances a year at $70 for 90 minutes plus mileage” (Columbia STATE, 11/24).